Viral video shows Erdoğan’s insults against Gülen movement

September 13, 2014 By administrator

A new video published on YouTube that has gone viral over the social media shows a compilation of insults and phrases that are tantamount to hate speech uttered by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

The video was prepared by sonvesayet.com, meaning the final tutelage, referring to the rule of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party), and published online this week. The video is composed of some dozens of insults by Erdoğan in fast-track, targeting a movement inspired by Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen. Most of the speeches in the video are made after Dec. 17 corruption scandal, which he dismissed as a plot to unseat him and blamed on alleged followers of Gülen in the bureaucracy. He went on insulting rampage after the corruption scandal, calling followers of the Gülen movement, also known as the Hizmet movement, as leeches, blood-sucking vampires and parasites.

http://youtu.be/qDliWB3n7wA

Erdogan tries to pressure Hollande into reconsidering Genocide bill

September 9, 2014 By administrator

New Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attempted to pressure French leader Francois Hollande into reconsidering the bill criminalizing denial of the Armenian Genocide.

As Istanbul-based Armenian daily Marmara reported citing Lebanese Aztag daily, the conversation took place during the September 4-5 NATO summit in Wales.

Erdogan also reminded about the oncoming meting between Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders for Karabakh talks. The Turkish President demanded fulfillment of promises given to Baku, noting that partnership with Azerbaijan will greatly benefit NATO.

In early September, French MP Valerie Boyer introduced a new bill on criminalization of denial of genocides and crimes against humanity in the 20th century.

“With the centenary of the Armenian Genocide ahead of us, France has no laws to punish denial of genocides and crimes against humanity, with the exception of the Holocaust. Though officially recognizing both genocides, only the denial of Holocaust was made punishable by Paris,” the parliamentarian stressed, urging to rectify the situation.

According to the MP, criminalization of the genocide denial is gaining urgency amid relentless persecution of Christians in Iraq. In this context, Boyer suggested to introduce a new classification of the denial of genocide viewing it as a crime against humanity rather than abuse of free speech, thus protecting the memory of all genocides.

In 2012 and 2013 Boyer also initiated draft laws on criminalizing the Armenian Genocide denial.

On January 23, 2012, French Senate passed the bill criminalizing the Armenian Genocide. The bill envisaged imposing a 45,000 euro fine and a year in prison for anyone in France who denies this crime against humanity committed by the Ottoman Empire.

Later, the French Constitutional Council ruled that a bill adopted by the French Senate making it a crime to deny the Armenian Genocide was anti-constitutional.

In July, French President Francois Hollande confirmed plans for a new law criminalizing denial of the Armenian Genocide with representatives of the Armenian community.

By: Aztag Daily: Էրտողան Հայոց Ցեղասպանութեան Հարցով Զգուշացուցած Է Հոլլանտը

Erdoğan: a national security liability for Turkey says İHSAN YILMAZ

September 6, 2014 By administrator

By İHSAN YILMAZ

When Germany confirmed that it had been spying on Turkish leaders, we all expected that this would be a golden opportunity for Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, as it would prove his point about a dark international conspiracy against him.

During the Gezi Park events, he kept repeating that since he is the leader of the Muslim world, Western powers are jealous of him, and that is why they were staging a coup against him. His chief advisor even said that Lufthansa Airlines was jealous of Turkish Airlines (THY) and that was why the Germans were also involved in this anti-Erdoğan conspiracy. With the news of Germany spying on Turkey, Erdoğan could easily have said: “Do you see? That’s my point.” But instead, a deep silence has taken the place of emotional and excited rhetoric. At the NATO meeting in Wales, we do not have an Erdoğan who is preaching and haranguing Western leaders and blaming them for not helping in his anti-Bashar al-Assad adventures, etc. He seems to be a very docile, well-behaved leader, which is very unlike him. You would expect that after a very fresh 52 percent victory, he would be boastful and bombastic. He is not. Why?

Maybe we must start the line of questioning with why the Germans openly accepted that they have been spying on Turkey and wiretapping Turkish leaders for several years. What Der Spiegel did is journalism. Any other reputable journal, newspaper or media outlet would have published this news. But the German authorities could easily have denied this, or they could at least have said, “No comment.” They decided to openly accept that they know what the Erdoğan government is doing. Erdoğan’s unusual and astonishing silence suggests that he has some dirty laundry that is known by foreign powers. He may have some skeletons in the closet. If he did not, he could easily challenge Germany, but instead he very embarrassingly stated that great powers do such things. You would not expect this from a person who claims to be a world leader and who has been portrayed as a caliph by several of his staunch supporters. What might those skeletons be?

Many people have been trying to guess. Many have pointed their fingers at the terrorist Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). If you recall, last year, after Erdoğan’s meeting with Barack Obama in the White House, there was news of a tense debate between these two leaders. It was alleged that Obama was upset about Turkish intelligence’s suspicious relations with al-Qaeda type terrorists in Syria. Moreover, several Syria-bound trucks and lorries were caught by Turkish prosecutors, and Erdoğan was very upset about this. He claimed that it was humanitarian aid to the Turkmens in Iraq, etc., but now the judicial evidence has been leaked to the media, and one can clearly see that these lorries were full of weapons. I also remember another leak. A THY officer was wiretapped talking to a notorious senior advisor of Erdoğan. The officer says that his conscience is not at ease, because he was not sure whether the thing they were carrying to Nigeria would kill Christians or Muslims. In this man’s perverted logic, it seems that if Christians are killed, that is okay.

All in all, it seems that the Erdoğan government has put into practice its Envero-Islamist adventurist foreign policy and has resorted to some illegitimate hard-power games. I am not sure, and it is obvious that at this stage these are only allegations. But we have to take them very seriously, since if they are true, they will create a very serious headache and crucial problems for Turkey in the international arena, courts, etc. Nobody has the right to risk Turkey’s interests, reputation or national security in adventurist decisions that were not taken in Parliament. What is more, if Western and Eastern powers also have some evidence of Erdoğan’s alleged corruption, they can easily use this as a bargaining chip against Erdoğan. There is no need for a detailed list, but it is obvious that they can ask him to naysay things behind closed doors.

It is obvious that Erdoğan has become a national security burden, risk and liability for Turkey.

Source: todayzaman.com

Erdogan trying to poke nose into Armenia-Azerbaijan relations

September 4, 2014 By administrator

Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s decision to conduct his visit to Azerbaijan as the president of Turkey was not absolutely a random choice, says a spokesperson for the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.

Speaking to Tert.am, David Babayan described the Turkish leader’s trip, as well as his statements made in Baku as a manifestation of pan-Turkist policies.

“This reflects the true situation. It is good in a way that Turkey makes statements of the kind, unmasking its own goals and the basic concepts of its policies. I see nothing bad about this. It was predictable and absolutely no surprise. Statements of the kind have been always made,” he noted.

At a meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Erdogan said his country’s relations with Armenia will remain frozen as long as the Armenian-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh doesn’t find a solution.

“Turkey and Azerbaijan act as the closest allies. What’s even more, Azerbaijan is trying to become part of Turkey. This is a reflection of pan-Turkist policies. Turkey has always made statements of the kind, so this isn’t anything new. Turkey won’t recognize the Genocide; it keeps denying the fact; this too, is a continuation of genocidal policies. They are doing everything possible to destabilize the situation,” Babayan said, adding that Erdogan is trying to kind of poke his nose into the Armenian-Azerbaijani relations.

Commenting on Erdogan’s statement, Vahan Badasyan, a member of the Nagorno-Karabakh National Assembly, said he believes that it is time for Armenia to announce officially that its relations with Turkey will remain frozen as long the country refuses to accept and recognize the Armenian Genocide.

“Hence the Armenian side should make haste to make such a statement, as Turkey may begin mixing up the Genocide with the Karabakh issue. I think our diplomacy is slowing its efforts from that point of view. It is important for us to state that Turkey has nothing to do with Karabakh. If it has to, why doesn’t it then share an equal responsibility with Azerbaijan?” he said.

Describing the Azerbaijani policies against Karabakh as aggression, Badasyan said he sees that the country has lost lands that belonged to during the Soviet years (not historically). “And the Karabakh side stood up for the protection of those lands, justifiably protecting itself from aggression. We do not absolutely care of what Erdogan will do or say; we just have to be ready for everything,” said the lawmaker.

Erdogan, Aliyev Pledge to Lie for Each Other on the World Stage

September 4, 2014 By administrator

BY ARA KHACHATOURIAN

BAKU—What better way for two leaders to reinforce their alliance than by pledging to lie for one another on the international arena?

That’s what happened Tuesday when newly-minted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Baku and said that Turkish-Armenian relations would not be normalized until a resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict that would be beneficial for Azerbaijan, further pledging to work toward the goal of pressuring Armenia to return territories it claims Armenia is occupying.

In turn, Erdogan’s Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev said that he would work with Turkey to counter “Armenian lies” regarding the Armenian Genocide.

“Turkey and Azerbaijan will jointly counter the lie about the genocide of Armenians,” Aliyev told journalists after his meeting with Erdogan. “We will be coordinating our efforts to expose the fictional Armenian genocide. Our non-governmental and Diaspora organizations will be acting together.”

Calling Turkey and Azerbaijan “two nations from one stem”—two peas in a pod—Erdogan stressed that Azerbaijan’s rights should be taken into consideration when discussing a resolution to the Karabakh conflict.

He reassured Aliyev that “if the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia is resolved, then the problems between Turkey and Armenia will also be solved.”

Erdogan said that “Turkey is ready to show determination on this issue” and promised to raise his perspectives on the Karabakh issue during the upcoming NATO summit in Wales.

This all comes a day after Turkey’s new prime-minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, put forth his government’s program, in which he reiterated the Erdogan’s statements about Karabakh and urged Armenians to not become “hostage to history.”

“We’ll also continue efforts to improve ties with Armenia in hopes that Yerevan will be guided by mutual interest for cooperation and search for ‘just memory,’ rather than historical hatred,” said Davutoglu.

This newly-cemented fraternalism between Turkey and Azerbaijan reinforces that both parties intend to continue their denial and hatred toward Armenians, and with one promising to do the other’s dirty work, it’s a sure bet that new “just” memories will be created.

Greece reacts to Erdoğan’s visit to KKTC, says it is illegal

September 2, 2014 By administrator

Athens has reacted to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC), saying his visit to the island is “illegal” and his statements during the visit show that Turkey will continue to pursue an “aggressive policy” against Greek Cyprus.

In a written statement released on Monday on the Greek Foreign Ministry’s website, spokesperson Konstantinos Koutras commented on the remarks Erdoğan made concerning his visit to the KKTC.

“The newly elected president of Turkey, Mr. Erdoğan, carried out an illegal visit to the occupied section of Cyprus, making disappointing statements that simply confirm Ankara’s persistence in its aggressive policy against the Republic of Cyprus,” Koutras said, adding that Greek Cyprus is a member state of the European Union, to which Turkey has applied for membership, and that “Turkey’s European course passes through the recognition of” Greek Cyprus.

After his inauguration on Aug. 28, Erdoğan paid his first visit abroad as president of Turkey to the KKTC on Monday in a bid to show Ankara’s solidarity with Turkish Cypriots. During his visit, Erdoğan called on Greece, as a guarantor country in the dispute, to “fulfill its duty” as Turkey does, saying that the window of opportunity will not remain open forever. He also criticized Greek Cyprus for its lack of will to achieve reconciliation during a press conference in İstanbul. He said that the Cyprus problem can be solved through reciprocal good will; however, Greek Cyprus has never adopted a “positive approach” towards reunification.

Koutras also responded to Erdoğan’s call for Greece to play a more conciliatory role, saying that Erdoğan is attempting “to equate certain of Greece’s international obligations with Turkey’s heavy burden of responsibility regarding the Cyprus issue.” He added that any such correlation is “historically and legally groundless and, thus, politically unacceptable” and underlined that Turkey bears responsibility for ending the “illegal military occupation and ongoing crime of settlement” in Cyprus.

“Moreover, if Turkey wants, as it claims, to facilitate the negotiations for the resolution of the Cyprus issue, it should, without any further delay, proceed to practical moves of good will, comply with the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights [ECtHR], and end any illegal or provocative activity in the Cypriot Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf,” the Foreign Ministry official stated.

Cyprus has been divided between the Greek Cypriot south and the Turkish Cypriot north since 1974, when Turkey sent troops to the island in the aftermath of a Greek-inspired coup that sought to unite the island with Greece. The Greek Cypriot administration is internationally recognized as representing the entire island, while only Turkey recognizes the KKTC.

Reunification talks between Greek and Turkish Cyprus resumed at the beginning of this year; however, they haven’t produced any result thus far. Negotiations have repeatedly stumbled over issues ranging from power sharing to redrawing territorial boundaries, as well as property claims of tens of thousands of displaced persons.

Turkish police fire teargas at protesters after Erdoğan sworn in

August 29, 2014 By administrator

REUTERS / ISTANBUL

Turkish police fired teargas and water cannon to disperse protesters in central İstanbul who sought to march in protest at Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s swearing in as Turkey’s president on Thursday.

Around 200 protesters gathered in the tourist district of Taksim, chanting slogans against Erdoğan and carrying banners saying “Presidency cannot wash away corruption or theft”, local media reported.

Nalbandian invited Erdogan to attend Armenian Genocide centenary ceremony

August 29, 2014 By administrator

PanARMENIAN.Net – Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian attended the Ankara-hosted inauguration of Turkey’s new President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

At the ceremony organized for the heads of delegations, Nalbandian had a short conversation with Erdogan, giving him President Serzh Sargsyan’s official invitation to attend the Armenian Genocide centenary event on April 24, 2015.

On August 24, Sargsyan said that Yerevan has received an invitation to the Turkish President-elect Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s inauguration ceremony.

“Armenia will probably accept the invitation, with Foreign Minister to attend the ceremony. Nalbandian will ask Erdogan whether he plans to visit Tsitsernakaberd Genocide Memorial in Yerevan on the centenary of the tragedy,” the President said.

Opposition Criticizes Armenian Attendence at Erdogan’s Inauguration

August 29, 2014 By administrator

ANKARA (RFE/RL)—Armenia’s main political parties at odds with President Serzh Sarkisian on Thursday criticized him for sending a high-level Armenian delegation to the inauguration of Turkey’s new President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The delegation headed by Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian was among official representatives of around 90 countries present at the ceremony held in the Turkish parliament. Only one of those countries, Armenia, has no diplomatic relations with Turkey, a fact emphasized by critics of Sarkisian’s decision.

Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharian defended the high-level Armenian presence, calling it “normal.” He also downplayed the fact that a Turkish head of state was sworn in the presence of an Armenian minister for the first time ever.

“There have been no such inaugurations in Turkey before because the Turkish president used to be elected by parliament,” Kocharian told journalists. “This ceremony is therefore the first of its kind.”

Opposition leaders dismissed these explanations. “The participation of our chief diplomat in Erdogan’s inauguration is not justified. They should have chosen a different level of participation,” said Naira Zohrabian of the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK), the second largest parliamentary force.

The opposition Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutiun) also criticized Nalbandian’s trip to Ankara. Its foreign policy spokesman, Giro Manoyan, pointed to Erdogan’s recent offensive remarks about Armenians. “Erdogan … has frankly demonstrated his feelings and thoughts about Armenia and the Armenians,” he said.

According to Manoyan, Dashnaktsutiun is worried that Nalbandian’s visit may be part of Sarkisian’s broader efforts to revive the 2009 Turkish-Armenian normalization protocols strongly condemned by the party. Dashnaktsutiun has repeatedly demanded that Yerevan withdraw its signatures from those agreements which Erdogan’s government has refused to implement unconditionally.

Levon Zurabian of the Armenian National Congress (HAK), another opposition party highly critical of the protocols, expressed similar concerns. “The fact that Armenia sent its foreign minister to Ankara is clearly connected with its desire to kick-start some diplomatic process,” Zurabian told RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am). “The only diplomatic process related to Turkey is the Turkish-Armenian protocols which we have discussed on numerous occasions. This was one of Armenia’s biggest failures.”

Announcing Nalbandian’s trip last Saturday, Sarkisian said the chief Armenian diplomat will use the occasion to clarify whether Erdogan will accept his invitation to visit Yerevan next April and attend official commemorations of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide in Ottoman Turkey.

Turkey Opinion: Prime minister at Erdogan’s mercy

August 28, 2014 By administrator

Writes DW’s Daniel Heinrich.

Turkey’s Ahmet Davutoglu replaces Recep Tayyip Erdogan as prime minister as Erdogan enters the president’s office. But what’s good for Erdogan is a catastrophe for the country, writes DW’s Daniel Heinrich.

Getting promoted is usually related to how well a person has performed. It’s actually a fairly formula: You prove you can do the job, don’t make too many major mistakes, and be nice to the boss. Then, in exchange, you get to climb a rung higher up the career ladder.

However, Ahmet Davutoglu, who was appointed to succeed Recep Tayyip Erdogan as Turkey’s prime minister, has utterly failed when it comes to meeting the first two criteria. The former foreign minister has little to show for his time as Turkey’s top diplomat – in fact, his time in office was a complete disaster.

Davutoglu was a professor of international relations before he became one of Erdogan’s top advisors in 2003. Davutoglu wrote a book on international politics called “Strategic depth,” in which he explained his foreign policy plan. It focused on having “no problems with the neighbors.” The idea was to establish Turkey as a new regional power by building good diplomatic relations with its neighbors.

That didn’t go too well, to say the least. Diplomatic relations between Turkey and Syria, Iran, Iraq, Israel to Egypt, the United States and European Union are tense – at best. All of which poses the question of how someone who steered the ship so badly gets a promotion rather than a pink slip.

Prime minister at Erdogan’s mercy

In politics, as in offices around the world, it’s not always the most capable people who reach the top. The only reason why Davutoglu has been promoted is his good relationship with his boss, Turkey’s new president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

It’s not a relationship of equals. Davutoglu doesn’t have a strong power base in the ruling AKP or among Turkish voters. He wouldn’t have gotten this position if it wasn’t for Erdogan. Davutoglu is at Erdogan’s mercy from the very start as his foremost skills are being nice to his boss and doing as he’s told.

This surprising act of honesty – openly displaying how political posts are being traded – would almost be comedic if it wasn’t so upsetting.

Most of the time, politicians at least try to keep up appearances – but in Ankara these days, they don’t hide the fact what role the new prime minister is expected to play: The primary task of a government under Davutoglu is to press ahead with the constitutional reform, Erdogan has said.

What about Turkey’s most pressing issues?

The centerpiece of this constitutional reform is strengthening the role of the president. Consider that for a moment: Davutoglu shouldn’t put the country’s most pressing problems at the top of the agenda, such as the widening income gap between Turkey’s rich and poor, or tension between different political and social groups. No, he should serve Erdogan’s hunger for power.

It’s grotesque: A single man uses the country’s entire political landscape to create a monument to himself. And the new prime minister – and with him the entire Turkish government – stands ready to lend a hand.

Erdogan calls Davutoglu “Hodja” which means master or teacher. It’s meant as an act of appreciation for Davutoglu’s academic successes as professor. But it’s a backhanded compliment: Smart academics are known for a lot of things, but getting policies moving and forcing one’s point is not among them.

In the past years, Davutoglu has proven that a high political post is out of his depth – and this won’t change in the years to come. It’s a catastrophe for Turkey’s future. But Davutoglu’s nomination was never meant for Turkey’s common good anyway.